Ohio became the 17th state to join the Union on February 19, 1803. A 1953 resolution of Congress changed Ohio's date of statehood to March 1, 1803, to reflect the date when Ohio's state legislature first met. Ohio’s first two senators, John Smith and Thomas Worthington, took office on April 1, 1803. Ohio’s longest-serving senators include John Sherman (1861-1877; 1881-1897) and John Glenn (1974-1999). Among those who rose to leadership positions are Benjamin Wade and Allen Thurman, who served as the Senate’s president pro tempore, and Robert A. Taft, who became Republican floor leader. In 1920 Ohio senator Warren G. Harding became the first sitting senator to be elected president of the United States.
